Jesus Builds His Church

Summary

There is a narrative that has become popular that describes the church as a human industrial response to the concept of God. It gives credit to the Catholic Church or Constantine or the Middle Ages to making something that replaces God’s original plan. We can see here that the church was very much created by and established by Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus makes a few things clear here as He sets His disciples out to build the church. First, their appointment comes from God (and their qualification is being confident in who God is). Second, they have an authority on earth that it reflected in heaven (God has tasked specific people with spiritual oversight). Third, that no matter how bleak things look, the church will prevail; the church will accomplish the mission of God. This should give us great confidence in who we are and what we are doing as the people of God in this world.

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16.18-19

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